Welsh Government Smart Living Initiative Review of Progress and Learnings from initial eight Demonstrator projects in Wales to March 2018 By AD Research & Analysis with the Centre for Sustainable Energy for the Decarbonisation and Energy Division, Welsh Government July 2018 Welsh Government Smart Living Initiative Cover photo © Port of Milford Haven 2 Welsh Government Smart Living Initiative Contents Foreword 5 Introduction 7 The Smart Living Initiative 7 The Demonstrators 9 1. Selection 9 2. Overview of the eight Demonstrators 10 3. The diversity of the eight Demonstrators 12 4. Seeing patterns across Demonstrators 18 Creating value 21 Emerging learnings 25 Conclusions and implications 28 Recommendations 31 Findings in Detail: the eight Demonstrator summary case studies 1. Bridgend Smart Systems and Heat Programme 34 2. Angle DC 38 3. Milford Waterfront: Developing a Zero Carbon Area 43 4. Blaenau Gwent - Catalysing Local Energy 47 5. Neath Port Talbot smart low carbon development 50 6. Creating a Hydrogen Valley Demonstrator 53 7. Flintshire: Smarter Connection – Virtual Private Wire Network (VPN) 57 8. Torfaen: Wellbeing in Blaenavon 60 3 Welsh Government Smart Living Initiative 4 Welsh Government Smart Living Initiative Foreword Although still at an early stage, I’m pleased to highlight through this first independently authored Smart Living review the progress in developing our major portfolio of innovative locality-focused and energy related Demonstrators. I believe innovation in the smart energy space across the whole power, heat and transport spectrum will be a key ingredient in helping support our decarbonisation agenda and delivery of multiple social, environmental and economic benefits for Wales. In particular the transition to a low carbon economy and capturing the benefits will contribute to delivering my three priority areas of using energy more effectively, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and maximising the role of renewable energy. All of these are reflected in the principles of the Smart Living framework and anticipated benefits arising from the Demonstrators. Looking forward, this report also aims to disseminate information about what we are learning as a result of Smart Living activities against the background of having clear long-term aims but uncertainty about the most effective immediate steps to take, with choices of so many clean-growth technological options under development in Wales and globally. Working closely with multidisciplinary stakeholders drawn from businesses, academia, utilities, local authorities, statutory bodies, regulatory authorities and UK Government departments, whilst we may know where we want to be, we recognise the pathway to get there is uncertain against the background of: • the low carbon and decentralised energy-technologies revolution; • widespread digitalisation and speed of introducing new technology and connected systems; • decarbonising mobility including the coming of battery and other low-carbon vehicles as well as autonomous driving systems; and • social media and changes in the pace of communication which will be very important in a much more customer-centric energy world. All these elements feature within the individual Smart Living Demonstrators and are helping build a picture of how we might lead and manage these transitions both at national and local levels. Each Demonstrator has a slightly different focus reflecting the resources, opportunities and challenges of their locality and all are firmly based in the reality of where we are at the moment. We are fortunate in Wales to be able to adopt a joined up approach at local and national levels of 5 Welsh Government Smart Living Initiative government to deal with these challenges and opportunities. This will become ever more vital with the local integration of power, heat and transport with its increasing system complexities and the growing importance of citizen wellbeing. Wellbeing is at the heart of the over-arching Welsh Government ‘Prosperity for All’ agenda. It provides clarity about the essential developments for Wales and how we want government and all stakeholders to be part of a new approach to delivering priorities. Prosperity is not just about material wealth – it is about every one of us having a good quality of life, and living in strong, healthy and safe communities. This is also at the heart of ‘smart living’. Adopting Smart Living as an innovative initiative to look at the different issues is helping us move forward. To deal with change, Wales needs good leadership with strong strategic direction against the background of a strong narrative on how we should progress. I believe the details of the activities described in this report help illuminate this narrative and I look forward to a continuing dialogue on the opportunities which ’smart living’ in its widest form could present for us all. Lesley Griffiths Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs 6 Welsh Government Smart Living Initiative Introduction This report provides a snapshot of the Welsh Government’s Smart Living Initiative as it stood in June 2018. The review was commissioned by Smart Living from Andrew Darnton at AD Research & Analysis (ADR&A), working with the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) and led by Nicky Hodges, supported by Karen Smith and Ellie Stevens. ADR&A and CSE have familiarity with Smart Living, going back to its inception – together they undertook a programme of informal consultation with stakeholders across Wales in 2015, which helped shape the development of the initiative, and the criteria by which Demonstrator projects could be selected. The 2018 Review is based on a stocktake of progress in an initial eight of the 12 Demonstrator projects live at the time of writing. Working with the lead organisations and partners in each Demonstrator we drew together progress to date, potential next steps, and emerging learnings. In doing so we reviewed key reports and papers developed by each Demonstrator, then held an interview with the key actors in the lead organisation (in two cases, these interviews were held face to face, in ‘site visits’). This body of evidence was written up first in long-form case studies (of 10 to 15 pages), then summarised into the short-form cases included here (of between three and six pages in length). Both the lead organisations and WG Smart Living were invited to write into the draft case studies, and were particularly encouraged to add their learnings and reflections. Final sign-off of each case study rested with the lead organisation. The resulting summary case studies make up the body of this report. They are supplemented by an initial commentary on the findings. This provides an overview of the Demonstrator projects and the range of activities they are undertaking. It then explores the value achieved and emerging from the work in each place, before synthesising the learnings arising from across the eight Demonstrators. The commentary ends with a set of conclusions, and recommendations for how best to continue the good work begun by Smart Living, the lead organisations and all the partners featured in these innovative projects. The Smart Living Initiative Smart Living was initiated in January 2014 as a result of reference in the “Energy Wales Programme: A Low Carbon Agenda”. Desk research was conducted and meetings held with all Local Authorities in Wales. Proposed opportunities for Smart Living were highlighted and proposals were put forward for scrutiny with a range of key stakeholders. Workshops were held in 2015 supported by the Centre for Sustainable Energy [1] and a report recommending the way forward was produced by ADR&A [2]. Using this information and the overwhelming response from the workshops for Wales to proactively 7 Welsh Government Smart Living Initiative take steps to encompass innovation opportunities, a Smart Living Demonstrator Framework was submitted and confirmed with Ministers in 2015. The Smart Living Demonstrator Framework [3] contains the scope, principles and governance considerations which have informed the Demonstrators set out in this update. For governance, Smart Living has a cross departmental Project Board and a Smart Living Technical Group was established with its first highlight report in 2016[4] and last met in 2017 to discuss smart homes and buildings link [5]. A Hydrogen Reference Group met in April 2017 to consider the activities Wales should be pursuing to facilitate the role and use of hydrogen in Wales. A copy of the first report of the group can be provided on request. Currently Smart Living facilitates aspirations for innovative solutions to problems which are place- based and needs-led. “Smart Living is not reflected in theoretical or practical definitions as it encompasses a wider scope than others that are already defined in the public domain such as Smart Homes, Business Powerhouses [6], Smart Cities and Smart or Smarter Grid. Smart was thought to encompass aspirations of Interactive-Connected–Intelligent–Flexible but it was difficult to define in isolation from different technologies and practices. It was recognised that defining Smart Living was critical to inform the Framework but it appears to have multiple meanings for individuals depending on who is asking the question and the circumstances of the individual responding” [WG SL Framework 2015]. Accordingly Smart Living is best defined as a Vision with a supporting set of Principles (which were set out in the Smart Living Demonstrator Framework) and is best understood through